Sybil Connolly

Words Edel Cassidy

The remarkable success of Sybil Connolly (24 January 1921–6 May 1998) is attributed to a combination of extraordinary creative talent and business acumen. She first came to international prominence following a fashion show at Dunsany Castle, County Meath, in July 1953. The show was hosted by Lady Sheila Dunsany, who had met Sybil when she was head designer for Richard Alan’s, the prestigious fashion store in Dublin’s Grafton Street.

Born in Swansea, Wales, to an Irish father and a Welsh mother, the family moved to Waterford when Sybil was a teenager. At the age of seventeen, she started work as an apprentice dressmaker at a company run by two Irish brothers in London, Bradley & Co. As a junior, she assisted at fittings for Queen Mary at Buckingham Palace.

Returning to Ireland in 1940, she worked at Richard Alan’s and in 1952 was appointed design director. She was determined not only to keep up with the latest international trends, but also to incorporate Irish fabrics wherever possible, including tweed, crochet, lace and, most notably, linen. In 1957 she launched her own couture line.

Painted portrait of Jackie Kennedy standing beside a fireplace, wearing a long white gown designed by Sybil Connolly — Jackie Kennedy’s official White House portrait by Aaron Shikler hangs in the Vermeil Room of the White House.
She posed in a Sybil Connolly cream pleated linen dress for the portrait.

Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar from 1934 to 1958, was fashion’s most influential voice at this time. Snow, who was born in Dalkey, County Dublin, proved instrumental in launching Sybil’s career and it was she who was responsible for ensuring that a large group of American buyers and journalists, en route to Paris for the couture shows, stopped off in Ireland for the fashion show at Dunsany Castle in 1953. Later that year, when Sybil travelled to America, her full-length red cape and white crochet dress graced the cover of Life Magazine with the headline, ‘Irish Invade Fashion World’.

In March 1956, the cover of Harper’s Bazaar had the title ‘Spring Collections Paris, London, Dublin, Italy’, indicating that the collections coming out of Dublin were considered just as important as those coming from Paris or Milan.

Sybil’s popularity continued to rise throughout the late 1950s and the 60s. She dressed many Hollywood stars, and America’s first lady, Jackie Kennedy, wore one of Sybil’s pleated linen dresses for her official White House portrait.

Later in her career, Sybil turned her hand to interiors, and she designed tableware for Tiffany & Co, glasses for Tipperary Crystal and wallpapers for Gramercy. She was consulted for the decoration of The Swiss Cottage in County Tipperary in 1989, always the entrepreneur, excelling at anything she put her mind to.

Sybil Connolly Collection at the Hunt Museum

Fashion sketch in black and white showing the design of a black evening dress — ‘Bluebird’ dress original sketch. Photo courtesy of the Hunt Museum.

Red cape on a mannequin displayed inside the Hunt Museum — Irish báinín red wool cape. Photo Patrick McHugh.

White blouse and red skirt on a mannequin beside a display case in a museum — Red woollen circular skirt. Photo Patrick McHugh.

The Hunt Museum, Limerick, holds a large archive of Sybil Connolly’s creations, donated by her nephew John Connolly. The collection consists of her haute couture, sketches, scrapbooks, fabric, wallpaper, ceramics and glass. Included are:

A red woollen three-quarter length circular skirt in Irish ‘washer-woman’ style made from dried báinín wool. The interesting pattern is achieved by quilting. While visiting Connemara, Sybil encountered a woman wearing a wonderful bright red skirt. When asked where she got the material, she pointed Sybil in the direction of the local village shop where she bought a bale of the red wool fabric.
Red cape in Irish báinín wool dyed bright red. It has two arm openings and three buttons running down the front. Many of Sybil Connolly’s designs were influenced by traditional Irish garments such as the Irish cloak. Her reinterpretation of the Kinsale cloak in vibrant red graced the cover of Life Magazine.

Black lace detail of an evening dress on a mannequin — Carrickmacross lace evening coat detail. Photo Patrick McHugh.

Minature white evening dress — Maquettes for evening dresses. Photos Patrick McHugh.

Miniature blue evening gown — Maquettes for evening dresses. Photos Patrick McHugh.

The Illusion half-length evening coat from the 1966 Spring/Summer Collection is made entirely from black Carrickmacross lace and has three ribbons on the front, covering fasteners. The coat belonged to Gertrude Hunt who, with her husband John, amassed the collection that today forms the basis of the Hunt Museum. Sybil used Limerick and Carrickmacross lace in many of her pieces. She spoke of persuading the sisters of the Order of St Louis in Carrickmacross to allow her to dye their lace black.
Maquettes. These small-scale models allowed customers a preview of what the final garment would look like before purchasing. Sybil gifted many to Gertrude Hunt for her daughter, Trudy, to play dress-up with her dolls, and some of these are now in the Hunt Museum’s collection.

Pleated white dress with light blue detail on a mannequin displayed in a museum — ‘Heiress’ dress. Photo Patrick McHugh.

Sybil Connolly's Purple pleated linen dress on a mannequin at the Hunt Museum — Lavender evening dress of gossamer pleated linen. Photo Patrick McHugh.

‘Heiress’ dress, 1957. A fairy-tale gown of chevron pleated handkerchief linen. The tiered bands of the skirt and waist are handmade Irish crochet, interspersed with blue satin ribbon. The décolletage is filled with Irish crochet motifs.

Sybil’s signature fabric was finely hand-pleated handkerchief linen, which was exclusively pleated for her by Spence Bryson in Northern Ireland, a company that supplies royalty, the Vatican, the Savoy Hotel and other distinguished customers.
Lavender evening dress, c. 1970, of gossamer pleated linen in horizontal rows with fitted bodice, frilled scoop neckline and three-quarter length sleeves.

A technique was devised using a heat process to establish permanent pleats with nine yards of handkerchief linen required to make one yard of dress fabric. A taffeta lining was added to hold the shape. The fabric’s greatest feature was that it was incredibly wrinkle-resistant. According to Harper’s Bazaar in June 1958, a Connolly pleated linen piece ‘will pack into a small duffel bag and emerge unscathed!’

Photo of Sybil Connolly courtesy of the Hunt Museum

The Council of Irish Fashion Designers

The Council of Irish Fashion Designers (CIFD), a representative body for Irish fashion designers, is now collaborating with the Hunt Museum to raise funds for the restoration and maintenance of the Sybil Connolly archive at the museum. Wear and tear through the years has left many of the garments in need of urgent attention to prevent further deterioration.

The first fund-raising event showcases the work of four CIFD designers who have taken inspiration from the life and work of Sybil Connolly.

Model wearing a white wedding suit in a stidio setting — Blush trouser suit by Carolyn O’Sullivan of Not Another White Dress.

Blush trouser suit in heavy silk satin, worn with matching veil. By Carolyn O’Sullivan of Not Another White Dress.

A designer and skilled patternmaker, Carolyn is all about detail and never compromises on finish or impeccable fit. She creates bespoke designs with a hint of magic for each bride. There are no rules. Collaboration between designer and bride is central to the process.

‘An aspect of Sybil Connolly’s work that I am particularly impressed by is her couturier’s approach to garment construction and attention to detail. The craftsmanship involved reflects my approach to creating garments that both adorn and empower the wearer.’ Carolyn O’Sullivan

‘Lindsay’ print dress and scarf in heavy silk habotai. By Hazel Greene.

Hazel is a visual artist and textile designer – a painter who creates silk garments. She takes her paintings and uses them to create a design, which she then prints onto silk.

‘To have the opportunity of seeing Sybil Connolly’s clothing, the original pieces displayed with no glass partition, was an honour. What struck me foremost was the quality of the fabric followed by the strength of the colour. I too work with natural fibre, in my case silk. There is a wonderful drape from textiles woven from natural fibre and a reflected richness of colour that is both beautiful and complimentary to the wearer.’ Hazel Greene

Model wearing a blue striped linen outfit — ‘Nostalgia’ linen pyjama suit by Amy Anderson of Kindred of Ireland

Model wearing a bright red print dress — ‘Lindsay’ print dress by Hazel Greene.

Model wearing a black pleated ribbon skirt and white linen jacket — Irish linen jacket worn with mini skirt made from hand-folded and handcrafted ribbon by Helen Hayes.

‘Nostalgia’ linen pyjama suit shirt and striped trousers. By Amy Anderson of Kindred of Ireland.

Irish linen has always been a part of founder Amy’s life. Growing up listening to stories of her grandparents’ youths spent working at Moygashel Linen Mill and hearing them talk of transforming flax into fabric, she has long been enthralled by the craft and skill involved in producing linen.

‘I am passionate about Irish linen, its heritage and its possibilities as a sustainable proposition for fashion in the contemporary world. Sybil Connolly’s idea to pleat fine Irish linen, thereby making a feature out of the fabric’s tendency to wrinkle – which was usually regarded as a problem – was simply genius.’ Amy Anderson

Hand-pleated and hand-fringed white Irish linen jacket worn with ‘knit 1, purl 1’ mini skirt made from hand-folded and handcrafted ribbon. By Helen Hayes.

A couturier who likes to combine simple silhouettes with intricate finishes, Helen’s signature look is origami-style folded duchess satin garments with ribbon embellishment. Each piece is handmade, taking up to seventy hours to create and intended to last a lifetime.

‘My final collection while studying at the Grafton Academy was based on frilly parrot tulips and the delicately veined surface of their petals. I had a photograph of Sybil’s work on my wall as part of my inspiration, but the first time I saw a display of Sybil Connolly’s pieces was in Brown Thomas, Dublin. It was beautiful to see them in reality.’ Helen Hayes

‘Sybil Connolly’ is published in Anthology Volume 19. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
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The Irish fashion designer who dressed some of the world’s most glamorous women, including Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor